Manipulator



2 sheets-sheet 1 E. E. BROSIUS` MANIPULATOR Filed July 8, 1 943 April 2, 1946.

` MMM.

pril 2, 1946. E. E, BRoslUs MANIPULATOR Filed July 8, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l QN NWN W *l Patented Apr- 2 s PATENT OFFICE material handling portion of the manipulator.'

Various mechanisms for accomplishing thesev functions have heretofore been'provided.

I provide a novel and extremely simple, inexpensive and foolproof structure for enabling` alteration of the elevation of the material handling portion of a manipulator while maintaining the orientation thereof and for tilting the material handling portion when desired. I provide, in a manipulator, a material handling portion, mounting means for the material handling portion, means forshifting the mounting means to alter the elevation of the material handling portion and means for differentially shifting the mounting means to tilt the material handling portion.

Preferably, I employ parallel motion mecha-A nism for altering the elevation of the material handling portion while maintaining its orientation, I also preferably provide means for tilting the parallel motion mechanism to tilt the material handling portion. The material handling portion may, for example, be mounted on a mounting member through a parallel motion linkage and the orientation .of the mounting member may be altered to tilt the material handling portion. To alter the elevation of the material handling portion while maintaining its orientation the parallel motion linkage may be operated with the mounting member remaining'stationary.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a presentlpreferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodiment of the invention, in which Figure 1 is a. top plan view of-a manipulator showing a ring shaped article being handled thereby;l and Figure 2 is-a side elevational view of the `ma.- nipulator shown in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawlings, there is shown a. manipulator having a main frame or body 2 mounted upon wheels 3 and hav-v ing an operators seat l. The manipulator is electrically operable from a. remote source of current delivered to the manipulator through a cable 5 and a mast 6 as well known in the art. vThe manipulator is operable by an electric motor geared to one of the wheel shafts, also as well known.V An electric motor also drives a pump or compressor for supplying fluid under pressure for operation of the material handling portion of the manipulator. The structure thus far described is all well known in the art.

Journalled in the main frame or body! of the manipulator is a shaft., lr Fixed to the shaft 'I adjacent opposite ends thereof are two parallel levers 8. Loosely pivoted upon the shaft 1 are two spaced upstanding mounting members W9. Pivoted to each mounting member 9 at its upper end by a shaft II) isa link II. The respective links II extend parallel to the levers 8. A bracket I2 is pivoted tothe linksA II by a shaft I3 and to the levers 8 by a shaft i4. The plane defined by the axes of the shafts 'I and I0 is parallel to the plane defined by the axes of the shafts i 3 and I4. 'I'hus for any xed position of the mounting members il the orientation of the bracket I2 remains constant, but through change of angularity relative to the mounting members S o1'l the levers 8 and links Ii the elevation ofthe bracket I2 may be altered, as will presently be described.

Connected with the bracket I2 at I5 is a material handling portion I6 illustrated as constituting opposed projecting supporting bars I1 connected at their ends by a cross rod I8. Work in the form of a ring i9 is shown as resting on the material handling portion I6. Since the material handling portion I6 is rigidly connected with the bracket I2 it partakes of whatever movement is limparted to the bracket.

Fixed to the shaft 1' is a lever zo. Pivoted to the lever 20 at 2| is the piston rod 22 of a piston v operating in a fiuid pressure cylinder 23 mounted in the main frame upon trunnions 24. Fluid connections (not shown) lead in usual manner from the pump or compressor to the cylinder 23 so that fluid under pressure can be admitted either in front of or behind the cylinder to move the piston as desired.

When it is desired to alter the elevation of the material handling portion ILS while maintaining its orientation the piston in the cylinder 23 is operated to turn through the lever 20 the shaft 1. Since the levers 8 are fixed to the shaft I they are swung about the axis of the shaft upon tummg of the shaft, the um la partants of similar,

movement since they must always remain invparallelism to the levers 8. This causes the bracket i2 and the material handling portion i6 to rise and fall as desired, but not to tilt.

Pivoted to the shaft l is the piston rod 25 of a piston operating in a iluid pressure cylinder 26 mounted in the main frame upon trunnions 2l. Fluid is admitted to the cylinder 2,6 similarly to the manner in which it is admitted to the cylinder 23 so that the piston in the cylinder 26 may be advanced and retracted as desired. When the piston is advanced it moves the upperA ends of the mounting members S toward the right, viewing Figure 2, resulting in tilting of the entire assembly constituting the levers 8, the links il, the bracket l2 and the material handling portion i6.

1 mimi 1. In a manipulator, a pivot, a link pivotally carried by the pivot, a second link parallel to Thus by operation of the piston in the cylinder 23 the elevation of the material handling portionof the manipulator may be altered and by operation of the piston in the cylinder 26 the material handling portion may be tilted. Preferably the operator of the manipulator sits in the seat li and controls the operations through a control panel 2B having iluid valves 29 mounted thereon. A separate valve is preferably provided for each of the cylinders 23 and 26 so that a skilled operator can simultaneously, when desired, alter the elevation of the material handling portion I6 and tilt the same. For example, the transition from the full line position to the chain line position of the parts in Figure 2 may be eected by successive raising and tilting steps or by simultaneously operating the raising and tilting means so that the parts partake of a mo-` tion which is the resultant of the separate raising and tilting motions.

By the mechanism above described I accomplish in an extremely simple and effective way and at remarkably low cost functions in a manipulator which have heretofore been accom. plished only with relatively expensive and complicated equipment. My manipulator is ideally suited for the handling of work to and from heating furnaces where it is subjected to great heat. Its construction and simplicity insure satisfactory operation even under severe heat conditions. `The manipulator is largely free of parts or mechanisms which are likely to become out of order and it performs the functions described mostieectively. y

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

the rst mentioned link, cross links connecting said rst and second mentioned links to form a parallel motion linkage, material handling means carried by one of said rst and second mentioned links and means for tilting said rst mentioned link about said pivot to alter the orientation of said linkage and of said material handling means.

2. In a manipulator, a material handling member of generally L shape, a link parallel to one arm of said material handling member, Vcross links connecting said link and arm to form a parallel motion linkage and means for altering the orientation of said linkage to tilt said ma- Y terlal handling member.

3. In a manipulator, a shaft; a link loosely pivoted to said shaft, a second link parallel to the rst mentioned link, cross links connecting said i'lrst and second mentioned links to form a parallel motion linkage, one of said cross links being non-rotatable with respect to said shaft,

material handling means carried by one of said rst and second mentioned links, turning of said shaft causing shifting of the material handling l means while maintaining the same in fixed orientation, and means for tilting ons of saidflrst and second mentioned links to alter the orientation of the material handling means.

I 4. In a manipulator, a pair of parallel links,

a material handling member rigidly connected with one of said links, cross links connecting said parallel links to form a parallel motion linkage, a lever non-rotatable with respect to one of said crosslinks for operating the parallel motion linkage to shift the material handling member while for tilting oneof said parallel links to alter the orieiit'ation of the parallel motion linkage and of the material handling member.

5. In a manipulator, a ilrst pivot, 8, second pivot, a link carried by said pivots, a second link parallel to said rst mentioned link, cross links connecting said first and second mentioned links to form a' parallel motion linkage, each cross link being pivoted about the axis of one of said pivots, material handling means carried by one of said iirst and second mentioned links, means for turning one of the cross links about the axis of the rst mentioned pivot to operate the parallel motion linkage to shift the material handling means While maintaining it in fixed orientation and means for shifting the second mentioned pivot transversely of its axis to tilt the parallel motion linkage and alterV the orientation of the material handling means.

EDGAR E. BROSIUS. 

